


Good things never last

by Blueberryshark



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Angst, But he's not a gentle giant, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt Leon, Hurt/Comfort, Mr. X might have a softer side, Obsessive Behavior, Other, Pain, Possessive Behavior, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Sexual Themes, Slow Build, Stalking, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, human/monster feelings, lack of boundaries, non-con elements, romance elements, some fluff later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2019-11-18 11:24:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18119840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberryshark/pseuds/Blueberryshark
Summary: Wanting to save people from danger is what made Leon join the force. He could not forsee that he would be the one in severe danger on his very first day. Especially when an ominous figure starts hunting him, though it might be for other purposes than originally intended. Is there any humanity left in this creature? Or will it be the rookie's death?





	1. To serve and protect

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. What am I doing! I blame Capcom for their amazing remake and Umbrella for their hellish yet wonderful creation called Tyrant-00. But I also need to blame Chasing_Serenity and her magnificent story “What hold a ladder to the wall”. It made me fell in love with Mr. X/Leon and filled me with a craving to work on my own ideas and write them down. I’ve been thinking about starting a fanfiction many times and finally found the courage and motivation to do so.
> 
> 2\. English is not my mother tongue, as you will most likely be able to tell. I use the language a lot in my daily life but hardly ever for writing creative content or longer stories. I’m an eager writer when it comes to my own mother tongue, yet it simply cannot associate Resident Evil with it. (They started to dub some of the recent games in my language but I don’t care for it, I can’t even think of the characters talking in anything but English.) 
> 
> 3\. So, in case readers find this story interesting and would like to see more of it, I’d be very grateful for a beta reader. I feel that I cannot always express a phrase or describe a scene the way I intend to and probably there’ll be some typos and grammar mistakes that my useless eyes and the spellcheck were unable to detect despite several proofreading runs. If someone is willing to help me out I’d be very grateful. And I would dance for you!
> 
> 4\. While I do have a clear idea where I want this story to go, yet I haven’t fully decided yet on how the relationship between those characters will play out in every detail. To put it bluntly, not sure yet if and how sexual this could get. There will be eventually some fluff moments, but for sure also angsty and dangerous ones. I’m afraid even some violence, worst case non-con actions. We are dealing with an unpredictable creature. Those tags sure will get updated. Wish me luck!

Ever since holding the paper in his hands confirming that the RPD had accepted his application as a police officer, Leon S. Kennedy had been making up many different scenarios of how his first day would be.

They had ranged from worrying to highly pleasing, some realistic, some very much over the top. The department might consist of jerks that enjoyed giving a rookie a hard time. Handing him all the boring tasks nobody else wanted to do. Making him scrub toilets. Locking him into a cell with a convicted criminal, all muscles and with tear drops tattooed underneath his eyes, having the rookie fight for his life to demonstrate he was police officer material (less likely, but this kind of movie scenes had to come from some real life inspiration, no?).

A more pleasant idea was an unexpected heroic act on the very first day. Impressing his new colleagues, demonstrating his superiors that they made the best possible choice when hiring him, making people feel save and hopeful. After all, this was what he what striving for. It was the motivation that had pushed him to finishing his exams as one of the best in his class and had giving him strength during physical training. Saving lives and serving justice was his true calling, he had realized years ago. Some of his friends had made fun of him for saying it like that, but he meant it. It wasn’t simply a career decision nor was it an idealistic idea of a young man playing hero. Deep inside, he knew it was what he needed to do.

Though most likely nothing heroic would happen during his first day either. Most likely, it would have been a busy day without big surprises, getting to know the building, daily tasks and colleagues. A nice time with a lot of information to process.

None of the scenarios he had made up had been remotely close to what his first day in Raccoon City was like. Leon had been fairly open minded when it came to choosing cities with open positions in their police departments. He didn’t mind moving far away into the unknown. Actually, leaving his hometown behind had sounded like a good idea at that time. A fresh start. Not everything had been going as great as his studies and training. So, why not going Midwest. Raccoon City. He had never been to the place before. Of course he had done his homework, had studied the facts about it. Yet, it remained a small, faceless city in his mind, sometimes bright and dull, other times dark and threatening.

None of the pictures in his imagination been remotely close to the hell on earth that Raccoon City turned out to be.

“ _This isn’t happening. This is my brain, my nervousness turning my first day on the new job into a nightmare. None of the classic things that can go wrong when starting your career, no ‘I made a fool of myself because I accidentally showed up in my pyjamas’, no Sir. In this precious mind, a bad start means blood and guts, walking dead tearing pieces of flesh out of people._ ”

It was happening. This wasn’t a nightmare. There was no waking up.

“Gosh Claire, I hope you made it.” There was no knowing whether they would meet again. He had been impressed to see the young woman outside the gate, soaked and a bit worn out, but perfectly alive. Her brother had taught her well. The past two hours had shown Leon how difficult hitting your aim on a moving target could really be when you are in a life threatening situation. The red haired girl sure hadn’t enjoyed as much training as Leon, which made her skills even more impressive.

Crazy to think that they could have met under very different circumstances. At the entrance of the police station, Claire visiting her brother, Leon being a gentleman and leading her to his office. Something silly like that. Well, no time ponder about the past or what could have been. The situation was as it was and he would need to handle it. Pushing all emotions aside, Leon took a deep breath and straightened up, gripping his gun with a steady hand. “ _Focus, rookie. No matter what, you are a police officer. You are someone that has to take on responsibility and help others. You can do this_.”

At least he couldn’t say that his first day didn’t have rewarding moments. Every moment in which a key was found or a locked path opened, he felt a brief moment of satisfaction and new hope. Who the hell had come up with all those puzzles anyway? Where they a leftover of the former museum or the work of someone among the RPD? Chief Irons maybe? The high superior he never got to meet. Maybe Leon would encounter his dead body eventually. On the ground or stumbling towards him.

That damn helicopter. The blonde muttered a curse as his eyes caught sight of it again while entering the balcony. As if all those intentionally locked doors weren’t bad enough, something else just had to make moving forward even harder. His expression softened when he imagined what the last moments of the pilots life must have been like. He kind of hoped the person had already been dead when the helicopter crashed. Better than being stuck and consumed by the flames.

That damn fire. The rain was strong enough to bother Leon’s vision outside, yet not strong enough to extinguish the flames of the burning aircraft. Maybe upon a closer look from the outside he’d be able to solve the problem.

The blonde started to climb down the wet ladder attached to the wall, careful not to slip. His caution remained unrewarded. Half the way down there was a terrible _creaking_ sound and the ladder eased backwards. With a gasp he hold on tight and before he could decide whether to quickly climb back up or jump down was the better idea, the ladder took the decision from him and collapsed entirely. The horrible feeling of suddenly falling down seemed very long, yet it lasted hardly longer than a second. Leon closed his eyes upon impact and it hurt. A lot, but at least he had fallen on his side, avoiding his head to smash onto the hard ground. Groaning, he carefully moved his limbs and got up. Nothing broken and no major injuries. Alright. The shock had been worse than the actual impact, luckily. What a horrible joke it would have been, to survive zombies and those fleshy monsters with their long tongues, only to get himself killed in a stupid accident. “ _You are more likely to get killed by a ladder than by a serial killer_ ”, he grimly recalled a statistic he had encountered during his studies at some point. Back then it had seemed reassuring.

His mood however quickly brightened when he spotted broken pipes above the crashed helicopter. And a handle just a few steps away from it. Could it be that easy? Of course it wasn’t. Turning the handle did produce water but it was being directed right next to him, not upon the fire. “What was I expecting”, he sighed and turned around to explore the rest of the area. The nearby stairs led him to an area with two more zombies – and a handler for the water pipe. He was so pleased that taking out the infected roaming the area felt almost easy. Leon entered the small building next to his discovery, only to be greeted by another pleasant sight: inside the second room, a key was pinned to a white board. “There we go. Seems like my luck is starting to change. Just hold on, Claire. I’m gonna find you and we’re leaving this hell together.” He exited the place, went up the stairs and worked the handle for the water one more time. The rookie let out a relived laugh when the water actually poured down onto the flames, extinguishing them with an audible _sizzling_. “Leon S. Kennedy, firefighter. That would have made a more successful start.”

The rookie took a deep breath, now able to appreciate the moist air for a moment. It was wonderfully clear and refreshing, lifting his spirits. He really needed that before going back into those dark halls, reeking of death, blood and rotten flesh. With renewed energy he left the rainy outside, pushing wet strands of hair out of his face. “Let’s do this.” With firm steps, he walked along the hallway, taking the turn behind which the burned remains of the helicopter were, ready to crawl underneath the mess to reach the other side. He had barely laid eyes on the demolished aircraft, when a loud metallic noise made him stop in dead his tracks, startled by the unexpected sound. “Gosh, what now?”

Leon had seen a lot in this night, unimaginable things. Some moments ago he would have claimed that he had seen it all. Yet none of the recent events had prepared him for what he faced now.

The unexpected noise had already startled him enough, but when the helicopter suddenly moved, he felt the shock almost painfully spread in his body and stood still in shock. At least his hands raised the gun automatically, while he stared at the scene before him. Just as during the fall he had experienced minutes ago, the moment lasted hardly more than three seconds, but it was like watching time pass in slow motion. While his body froze, his brain registered every new information in a meticulous way that he hadn’t been aware of having, despite “rapid comprehension” being mentioned among the skills in his CV.

It’s another survivor was the first thing that entered his mind, though he knew that this couldn’t be correct even before the thought had finished. What he saw appearing on the other side of the hallway did look human, much more human than those walking mutilated corpses that were roaming the city. It had the shape of person, standing tall, no sign of injuries or infection. Yet it couldn’t be a person, because no human being could lift the demolished helicopter with one arm and push it out of the way, which is exactly what the stranger just did. There is a moment of absolute silence.

_Leon hears nothing but his blood rushing in his ears. Even the sound of the falling rain gets blinded out while he stares at the stranger. Bulky shoulders. An impossible height. All covered by heavy black leather. A hat hiding the face. Those are the features he can perceive before his opponent lifts his head, locking eyes with him. They are pale and unlike any color he has ever seen. They have nothing in common with the dead white he observed among the zombies. Intelligence and focus gleam in those eyes. The view is some entirely new horror. For a brief moment, the creature scrutinizes Leon, who is starring at it with wide blue eyes. Then its expression hardens, eyes flashing like those of a predator spotting a prey. “Jesus! Stay back! Put your hands where I can see them!” He **knows** how futile it is, ridiculous even. This creature does not need a weapon to harm him – it had just pushed a helicopter aside with no effort whatsoever. Still, his brain insists on sticking to protocol, a desperate attempt to grasp control of the situation and to normalize it_.

Futile.

With large strides the creature stomped towards the rookie. And Leon did the only thing both his brain and his body agreed is the right one to do: he spun around and ran.


	2. Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And lo, the beast looked upon the face of Leon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert happy face here* Thank you for all your comments, kudos and bookmarks! It makes me so happy to see the first chapter of this story was well received. I was quite nervous about publishing my first fanfic. Now I'm very eager to continue :*
> 
> Also:  
> \- Tags have been updated (and it might get worse)  
> \- Eternal thanks goes to [Asylos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asylos/pseuds/Asylos) who patiently took care of correcting this chapter as English is not my mother tongue  
> \- Now that I know how to embed links in the notes, once again, [Chasing_Serenity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasing_Serenity/pseuds/Chasing_Serenity) is the devine author whose [work](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17615408/chapters/41529539) inspired me to start working on this story.

Leon pushed the door open, heart racing in his chest. He hadn’t expected to leave the roof over his head so soon again. The cold rain hit him in the face, clearing his shocked mind for a second. “ _Take a deep breath and then make a quick decision.”_ He couldn’t allow himself to panic, even though the unexpected encounter had shocked him more than any other this night. This had to be the monster that killed Ben. The horrible image of the journalist’s crushed skull came to Leon’s mind. A gloved hand that pushed through a brick wall as if it was paper…

 

 Leon’s eyes scanned the area. “ _The ladder is broken. No chance to climb up to that balcony again_ .” He could flee down the stairs. “ _Those lead to a dead end_ . _If it follows you, you’ll be trapped in that small building. In there is not enough space to avoid getting attacked by this thing_ .” That meant there was only one option – he had to fight the creature. His hands shook while he hastily took a few steps away from the door and turned to face it with a raised gun. Something told him that this thing would not simply die from a few bullets in the head. Still, it had to have a weak spot. “ _Engage it, analyse it. Find its weakness. There must be some way to stun it at least_.” Leon just hoped he’d be able to do so before the leather-clad figure could tear him to pieces.

 

Despite his best efforts to stand strong and ready, the blonde flinched when the door got pushed open with a loud _bam_. The stranger emerged. He was so tall that he had to crouch slightly to fit through the door frame. Leon’s fingers clenched the gun even harder. It looked like a man, but it couldn’t possibly be human.

 

It took the creature not even a second to spot the rookie. Neither the rain nor the darkness seemed to affect its vision. Its eyes gleamed with an eerie silver light. As soon as it set eyes upon Leon, it marched towards him with a speed that didn’t seem to fit its heavy built. “Fuck!” The blonde steadied his aim and pulled the trigger. He went for the face. Not only because this was usually a delicate area on every living being but also because it was the only part of his opponent’s body that wasn’t covered in heavy leather. One, two, three shots. Each bullet went straight into the broad forehead of the ‘man’.

 

He didn’t even try to dodge the shots or to move his head out of the firing line. The bullets didn’t seem to bother him any more than the rain. He stomped towards Leon and for the first time the rookie understood what Ada had meant when she told him that Umbrella created weapons. This being wasn’t mindless like the zombies, neither was it a wild beast like those monsters with their long tongues. Those things had attacked him in a savage way, working on primitive instinct. But the creature he now faced was like a crafted weapon. Not an accidental victim of the virus nor a beast that had escaped from its cage.

 

This thing was sent to kill and he went for his target like a missile. Incredibly powerful, focused and immune to attacks. He had his eyes set on an enemy and would eliminate it. Sending something like this onto a battlefield…

 

Desperately, Leon jumped back and fired again, this time aiming directly for the creature’s piercing eyes, delivering two perfect shots. No success. What was this thing made of!? Metal? It would explain the strange greyish colour of his skin, though it couldn’t be because the bullets had penetrated him. A hollow _click_ brought Leon the terrible news that he was out of bullets. Not that they had done much good… “ _I gotta get away from him. If I can move around him, I might be able to get back into the hallway and lose him. It’s a big building and I know my way around, more or less_.” The giant figure was not even two meters away from him when Leon darted off to his left side. From the corner of his eyes he saw the creature raise a hand.

 

Only the knuckles of that huge fist collided with Leon’s left shoulder – under other circumstances he would have said they brushed him – but the force behind that swing was strong enough to hurl the rookie backwards. He hit the ground and slid a few meters over the wet ground. “ _Jesus!”_ If the creature had been any closer the blow would probably have straight away killed him. “ _Retreat, retreat_!” the rookie’s mind shouted. There was no fighting this attacker. This was something sent straight from hell. Leon managed to get onto his feet and headed for the only possible escape route. He jumped down several steps at once even though it was sheer madness to do so with the stairs being wet and slippery, but he had to try to get as much space as possible between himself and this monster. He knew he was heading for a dead end, but maybe he could at least find a place to hide within the small building in which he had found the most recent key. He couldn’t recall any possible hiding spot in there, but what other choice did he have? “ _Gotta try at least_.”

 

The rookie almost tripped over the two zombies he had shot down here before. With trembling hands, he finally reached the place, ripped the door open and immediately slammed it behind him. Panic-stricken his gaze shot around. No, there wasn’t really any place that could hide him from his attacker. He was screwed. “ _Maybe he’s not gonna follow me that far_ .” Leon tried to calm himself with that thought. None of the other enemies had tried to come after him when he was completely out of sight. “ _This guy doesn’t look like he can be fooled that easily, though.”_ Trying to calm his panting breath, Leon listened intently to the sounds from outside. There was the rain. And footsteps. Heavy boots stomping over the ground. Marching straight for the door, not lost or distracted in the slightest. The blonde’s eyes grew wide in fear. “ _I’m trapped”._ The realization left him terrified. The hunter had cornered his prey.

 

The door burst open, almost being ripped from its hinges. Even though Leon knew it was the worst he could do, he stumbled into the connected room, robbing himself of any possibility to escape his pursuer for good. No windows. No other door. Just this big box, not big enough for hiding, though. His heart pounded as if it would explode any second. He was helpless and as good as dead. Never before had such a raw fear consumed him, blocking out every other thought or feeling.

 

_Stomp, stomp_.

 

The horrifying figure appeared in front of him, once again lowering his body because it was just too damn large to fit through the door otherwise.

 

Hard silver eyes locked with soft blue ones. And Leon knew it was over. This was it. This creature was going to kill him. The night of horrors had reached its peak and this was how his life would end. His mind felt so empty, almost as if it had given up already, accepting it would be extinguished.

 

Leon had thought if he would ever die in combat – and taking into account he was a police officer, this thought had not been so far-fetched –, he would die fighting to his last breath. But in the end, he wouldn’t. When the monstrous man raised his fist once again, ready to smash his victim into pieces, Leon cried out and crouched onto the ground, hands protectively pressed onto his head. Somewhere deep inside him he felt ashamed for this action. It seemed so terribly cowardly to him. He wished he could have accepted death in a graceful manner, without giving his killer the satisfaction of seeing him shaking and whimpering in terror.

 

He had underestimated what a horrible feeling imminent death would be.

 

Only that death didn’t come.

 

Seconds passed. Leon heard himself sob slightly – a humiliating sound. But he was still alive. The blow never fell, even though the rookie had been a perfect target, unable to dodge or fight back. His breathing was fast and shaky when he finally dared to slightly turn towards the attacker and raise his head.

 

The monstrous man was towering over him. Still holding his fist into the air. But he didn’t move. He stared at Leon. His expression was still threatening –yet his eyes didn’t seem as cold and soulless as a moment ago. Instead, the pupils seemed slightly expanded. Before, they had been dilated like a predator’s that is about to jump a prey. Now there was something glittering in them.

 

Curiosity?

 

Yes, curiosity.

 

The creature was standing there, motionless, as if it suddenly froze in the middle of delivering his deadly punch. Only his eyes moved ever so slightly. Scanning Leon’s body.

 

Even though he was already alive much longer  than expected, Leon couldn’t really feel any relief. His mind had not yet processed this new situation. The blonde was still shaking in fear, no matter how hard he tried to calm himself. What the hell is going on? What happened that his attacker suddenly stopped dead in his tracks? And why was he looking at Leon like he had never seen a human being before?

 

The rookie was torn between pressing his face back into the ground and simply staring back at his pursuer.

 

It couldn’t be that a human upon closer view is a new experience to the monster. He had been created by men, no doubt. And he sure as hell hadn’t went to a shop and dressed himself into that dark outfit he was wearing. He must have interacted with many humans before. He had approached the blonde with such a steely determination, clearly with the intent to kill his target. There had been no compassion in his eyes.

 

There still wasn’t any now, but there was _something_.

 

They stared at each other. Leon’s mind slowly started to work again. “ _Ok, you are not dead yet. So, pull yourself together. There is still a chance to get out of this. Just try to understand what’s going on and then use it to your advantage_ .” His spirits rose when he noticed that his attacker ever so slightly started to relax. The tall man lowered his fist just a tiny bit while still staring at Leon without blinking. “ _Good. That’s good_.” The rookie swallowed. It was impossible to tell why the creature was hesitating. Maybe, Leon thought, just maybe this town wasn’t only divided into helpless victims and vicious monsters. Maybe this strange being, no matter how intimidating it seemed, was more than a killing machine? Leon had always been someone that believed justice and good would prevail in the end. He didn’t think of himself as too idealistic and naïve, but he had always stuck to the idea that good was stronger than evil. What would have been the point of joining the police force otherwise.

 

The creature’s humanoid form and his alert eyes filled the rookie with the hope that his opponent was not just a murderous creation but actually _someone_. Someone that could be reasoned with, at least for a moment.

 

Leon moved slowly, afraid that any quick movement might trigger his pursuer. He uncurled, raising his body slightly and moving his arms that had been protectively wrapped around his head. The palms of his hands faced into the creature’s direction. It was a gesture that was supposed to be calming and pleading at the same time. “Don’t do it. Please don’t hurt me.” Leon hadn’t planned to say those thoughts out loud. Maybe the monstrous man understood human speech but Leon doubted it. The creature hadn’t made a single verbal sound yet. Maybe words were meaningless to it. Still, maybe a soft, reassuring voice helped to move things along.

 

Those piercing silver eyes followed Leon’s every movement, yet the ‘man’ remained calm. Leon bit down hard on his lips, desperately trying to regain control over himself. His eyes shot towards the door behind the tall figure. _“I might just be able to do it. Get a little bit closer. Then move. Be quick, surprise him. Get out and run like hell.”_

 

The stranger still made no effort to attack Leon and the rookie felt almost confident. Though his face was not giving much away, the monster seemed to be strangely enchanted by him. God knew why. It didn’t matter. “ _No time to wonder what and how this thing thinks_.” Inch by inch, Leon straightened up, never breaking eye contact, even though being so close to his pursuer made him tremble with fear. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” he kept rambling in a low voice. It was probably pointless but he couldn’t stop himself. Talking helped him not to lose it.

 

The monster didn’t try to stop the rookie approaching it. Actually, his eyes gleamed even brighter now.

 

Soundlessly, Leon took a deep breath. Then, with a motion so swift and out of nowhere that it would have put a snake to shame, the rookie darted off. It didn’t even take him two large steps to pass the towering monster and to feel the door handle underneath his fingers. He tore the door open and stepped through it.

 

“ _Yes! I made it! I…"_

 

The creature’s fist hit him in the middle of his back like an oncoming truck.

 

The punch was so hard it threw Leon several meters forwards and onto the ground. Pain as he had never experienced before spread through his entire body and numbed his mind.

 

Every bit of air was pressed out of his lungs and for a moment the blonde was convinced the monster had crippled him. He heard himself scream in agony and desperately gasped for air like a fish suddenly out of water, helpless, unable to move. His head was clouded with searing pain. A hand clasped around his left ankle, relentlessly pulling.

 

Like a dead animal, the blonde was dragged back into the room, exactly to the spot where he had cowered in fear before. The massive form of his attacker was once again blocking any escape route.

 

Not that Leon would have been able to try to jump up and run again.

 

The numbness of the punch started to fade and left nothing but hot pain behind. Leon’s breath came in ragged sobs as he pressed his face into the cold ground. For a moment he was convinced he was not going to make it. His vision was clouded, his ears were ringing. Every gasp sent another nauseating wave of pain through his back, his head and his mind. “ _At least_ ,” commented a muffled inner voice of reason, practical and unaffected by any emotion, “ _at least feeling all this pain means the punch hasn't paralyzed you. It easily could have_.”

 

He expected to be beaten into a bloody pulp now, but his attacker sure took his sweet time, just standing there while the rookie was writhing on the floor.

 

"Oh God... fuck... what the hell do you want from me?!" His voice sounded hoarse and couldn’t do the desperation and anguish he felt any justice. The tall figure watched him, quietly, seemingly unmoved by his victim’s grave condition. There was no mercy in his eyes, but once again, no desire to simply kill either. If anything, the monster seemed content to have Leon back in the room, unable to dart off, so he could watch him with no rush or making any effort to hold the human back down. This fucking thing. Why had he done that? Was he going to play with him like a cat would play with a mouse, giving him a slow and cruel death, enjoying his futile attempts to stay alive? Maybe that ‘man’ was even worse than the other beasts Leon had encountered so far.

 

When the creature moved closer, Leon whimpered. He hated himself for it, but it was just too much.

 

The monstrous man was now slightly bending down to his prey to get a closer look. Leon wanted to squeeze his eyes shut but couldn’t, feeling as helpless as a deer caught in a car’s headlights. His aching body did not allow him to move away. What a terrifying view. On closer look, the grey skin revealed strange carvings, a clear reminder it was not a human being (if his immense strength and size hadn’t proven that already).

Leon’s fear-filled eyes wandered over the monster’s face. Without really being aware, he noticed something that seemed like a tag, neatly stitched onto the lower surface of the monster’s grotesque fedora.

 

Tyrant-003 (X)

 

Tyrant. What a damn fitting name for that creature. And what was X? His number? His name?

 

Leon gave strangled sound when ‘X’ suddenly extended one of his huge hands again. " _No, please, no more_." He couldn’t stand another blow. “No, please don’t!” His begging had no impact on the tyrant. However, there was no punch this time. Instead, ‘X’ hesitantly approached the rookie with spread fingers, the hand lingering in the air for a moment before planting itself onto Leon’s hair. The large fingers slowly closed around some strands and then pulled as if checking how firmly the golden hair was attached to the human’s head. Leon clenched his teeth in fear, anger and absolute confusion. Compared to the fist that had collided with his back just a few moments ago, the yanking of some strands should hardly have hurt him, but it still did.

 

Strangely enough though, the action didn’t seem to be intended to cause him further pain. It was just rough and somewhat clumsy. Like a toddler exploring a pet with uncoordinated hands, not acting ruthlessly on purpose. Simply not regarding his ‘toy’ as something that can feel pain and should be respected as a living being.

 

It was too much to grasp for Leon’s mind. The whole night had been a nightmare but the last ten minutes had introduced him to an entirely new kind of hell, both physically and psychologically.

 

The large hand grabbed his hair once again, this time letting the blonde strands run a bit slower through the fingers. The tyrant still pulled, but not as harsh as before. His face didn’t give any emotion away. The mouth was a straight line, giving it a rather grim expression. The eyes, however… The pale pupils were again round with interest. Leon would have gone as far to call the look _fascinated_.

 

Unfortunately, fascination didn’t bestow gentleness on his tormentor. The tyrant’s other hand now stroked over the rookie’s neck and then went to explore his back by pressing into the flesh. Moaning in pain, Leon flinched. To his surprise, this caused ‘X’ to retreat his hand.

 

The touching had hurt, but Leon also noticed now that he could move his limbs and head again without experiencing complete agony. There was still a terribly throbbing pain, but he probably would be able to walk, to run – not for long, but maybe enough to bring a safe distance between him and the tyrant without collapsing. “ _Yes, because last time you tried that worked so well_ ,” the voice of reason reminded him. “ _You can’t escape him while being in this room with him. Don’t show him you are doing better. Let him believe you are helplessly trapped on the ground. Wait for the right moment.”_ Whenever that would be.

 

Suddenly, a gloved hand grabbed the blonde’s chin, again not very gently. Only now Leon noticed that he had been crying and that his cheeks were wet with tears. The tyrant’s face was now unnervingly close. Icy breath hit Leon’s face, the wetness on the rookie’s skin making the sensation even colder.

 

He probably looked like a pathetic, whimpering mess, face red and tear stained. The way his pursuer moved Leon’s head from left to right as if to inspect it in detail seemed almost professional but with no compassion. Like a doctor that was checking a patient with rough hands.

 

When the tyrant’s face got even closer to Leon’s, the rookie tried to shake of the leather-clad fingers but they dug into his soft skin like iron, unmovable. To his horror – was there no end to terrible experiences with this creature? – ‘X’ slightly parted his pale lips. A dark tongue slowly slid out, reaching for the rookie’s cheeks. The hair on Leon’s neck stood on end with shock and disgust. What was that going to be? Enjoying the tears of a defeated enemy? Eating him?

 

However, before Leon could finally lose it, the tyrant discarded the action as if not convinced it was safe to taste that liquid on the human’s face. Considering his strange interest in tears, he probably wasn’t fully aware what those were. “ _Oh sure,”_ Leon thought bitterly. “ _It’s dangerous after all to go ahead and try unknown liquids. Safety first_.” What a joke that this powerful monster considered something related to Leon a possible source of danger.

 

Their eyes locked once again. Despite all this torture, the rookie had not fully given up the hope that the strange obsession the tyrant shows towards him could help him to get away eventually. Leon still didn’t understand what the creature wanted from him – and he had a feeling, that ‘X’ was somewhat clueless himself. It didn’t make any sense, he was a weapon designed to kill, so what was it with Leon that he went against his protocol? Minutes ago, the tyrant’s actions had been straight and precise. Even though those silver eyes scared him, Leon forced himself to look directly into them.

 

Desperately, the blonde tried to find some humanity in those eyes. Some mercy. “ _Please. Let me go. Don’t hurt me anymore_.”

 

And just for a second, he believed to have seen some emotion flicker in the tyrant’s eyes – almost as if there was a moment of connection between them.

 

But then the monster rose up and the moment was over, if it had happened at all.

 

A cry escaped Leon’s lips when the tyrant grabbed him by his vest and lifted him into the air. The rough handling brought back all the pain in an instant. Ignoring the human’s groaning, X threw him over his bulky shoulders and turned around to face the door. Holding on tightly to his prey, the humanoid figure left the room.

 

_“Where is he going to bring me? And what for?! I gotta get away. As soon as he brings me outside. There’ll be enough space to escape him without getting cornered or hit.”_

 

Hanging over the giant man’s shoulder would have been unpleasant even without the previous injuries. It felt like laying on a rock and each booming step the tyrant took made the rookie jolt. Stoically ignoring his tormented back, Leon fumbled on the straps of his vest. The monster was holding onto the armor only and Leon would be able to detach it from his body. He wasn’t keen on losing this important piece of protection but it was his only chance.

 

The tyrant pushed the door of the building open. And soon as he had stepped outside, not only the sound of falling rain greeted them but also a terrible snarl that the blonde had heard way too often this night – even though in that specific moment it should turn out to have perfect timing.

 

Everything happens incredibly fast and later Leon would be proud of his quick reaction, considering the terrifying circumstances.

 

_A face, rotten with wetness, appears in Leon’s field of vision and the mouth opens, revealing blood stained teeth. One of the zombies he shot in this area before decided to make a comeback. Before the teeth can sink into the blonde’s face, he is yanked to the side. For the very first time, he hears the tyrant make a sound. It’s a deep, angry growl, not comparable to any animal Leon ever heard before. The tyrant strikes for the zombie while whirling around, removing Leon from the undead’s reach. And Leon opens the last strap of his vest._

_He falls out of the tyrant’s grip, the momentum throwing him a few meters away from his kidnapper. Despite his injury, the rookie still manages to land on his feet. As soon as he touches ground, he starts sprinting. He reaches the stairs and doesn’t stop running until he reaches the top, running for the door that leads back into the RPD, effectively leaving the tyrant behind him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the first chapter did not give too much away yet, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about their first encounter.


	3. Hide and Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That sweet smell of an injured prey...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments, I was really curious to see what you guys think about the first encounter between Leon and Mr. X in this story since the first chapter didn't give too much away yet. 
> 
> Kudos to [Asylos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asylos/pseuds/Asylos) for beta reading!

By the time he had gotten back into the RPD’s main building, Leon was as exhausted as if he had run several miles. Well, it was a miracle his legs still worked at all after the tyrant’s fist had collided with his spine. The dull, throbbing pain in his back made him feel dizzy again once the adrenaline had ceased. His pace became sloppy while he tried to cross at least a few rooms to be out of sight in case the tyrant followed him back into the building.

 

Eventually he stopped in front of a bathroom on the second floor, east side of the building. Nausea from the pain and the terror he had experienced overcame him and he stumbled into the room, reaching one of the toilets just in time to empty his stomach. Quite ridiculous actually, whether he had thrown up into the toilet or anywhere on the ground didn’t matter in any way being in the middle of a zombie virus outbreak. But old habits die hard. In the weeks before, Leon had spent a night or two hanging over the toilet in order to get rid of excessive quantities of alcohol _. ‘Compared to the current situation those were actually blessed times. Should have enjoyed the harmless misery while it lasted.’_

 

With an exhausted sigh, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His body and mind ached for a rest, but he couldn’t afford to take any. Getting out of the station and its weird underground facility was more important than ever, now that ‘Mr. X’ had made an entrance. ‘ _I wonder if it can get any worse. Does Umbrella have any other immortal monsters up their sleeves? Have they already sold something like him to other countries?’_  Also, why did the tyrant’s build resemble a man so much, apart from size and skin? The only answer was that apart from being completely free of morals when creating their other monstrous weapons, the huge pharmaceutical corporation had also experimented on humans or with human DNA at least. Leon felt like throwing up again at that thought.

 

Enraged, he moved to the sinks to wash out his mouth and splash cold water onto his face. Rookie or not, he wouldn’t allow Umbrella to get away with their crimes. Once he and Claire were out of here, they would tell the world what had happened. Hopefully Ada would finish her mission as well so they’d have an FBI agent backing up their reports, along with a sample of that virus.

 

Leon reached for the map in the pocket of his pants and studied his current surroundings. His eyes fell onto the locked doors that he had marked with a club symbol. ‘ _Alright, I’ve got a key for those now. Please let there be something useful in one of those. More friggin’ keys. A rocket launcher. A box of painkillers, a bacon sandwich and some ice-cold coke, thank you very much.’_

 

The closest door was located in the nearby basement area. Dealing with the few zombies roaming the place suddenly felt extremely easy. _‘At least they go down eventually.’_ The club key granted him access to a messy interrogation room. A few unused bullets laid scattered on the ground. And a box. The item felt rather out of place. Antique and decorated with red gems, it looked like something that belonged in some old, rich lady’s bedroom. In middle of the lid, there was an empty oval space. ‘ _Why on earth would someone – oh, wait!_ ’ He remembered the large gem he had found in the art room earlier that night. Back then it hadn’t served any purpose so the blonde had left it on the reception desk in the main hall. There was no telling whether the box contained something really useful, but there had to be reason for it being hidden inside a police station of all places. ‘ _Man, someone really had too much time on their hands when working on these puzzles._ ’

 

Just as Leon was about to exit the room, a distant sound could be heard. Heavy steps, echoing in the eerie silence of the building. Which could only mean one thing. In a fraction of a second, terror shot through his body and he was close to a panic attack before the voice of reason inside his head pointed out to him that the sound was coming from above him and not nearby. Still, the sound made Leon’s pulse race. ‘ _So, that thing really is inside the building now. Fuck. FUCK._ _I gotta be careful_.’ The image of the tyrant’s marred face so close to his own still haunted him, not to mention the ache in his back. Everything about the creature was intimidating and Leon never wanted to be close to him again. God knows what else the tyrant would have done to him if he hadn’t escaped. Yes, he had clearly be hesitant to directly kill Leon, but the encounter still had almost cost the rookie his life. Slowly tortured to death like by a child that has gotten hold of a small, fragile animal… The thought was almost more terrifying than simply getting killed with one mighty punch. Also, there was no telling whether the tyrant would hesitate next time. Maybe Leon’s escape had enraged him so he would take no risks during their next encounter. ‘ _There won’t be a next encounter!_ ’

 

At least the tyrant’s presence was announced by those booming footsteps, so he should be able to avoid running into him. If the creature could have simply snuck up to him, Leon would have gone completely mad. He felt silly enough for the amount of effort it took him to leave the current room. If he was honest, he would have liked to curl up in one of the corners to wait until some cavalry arrived. ‘ _Get yourself together! You are the only cop still standing here. You are not waiting for help, you are helping others_ . _What if Claire runs into this guy?’_ Still, his hand was shaking so badly when trying to open the door that he missed the handle several times.

 

While he approached the stairs, treading as lightly as a cat, the sound of the tyrant walking around faded. Leon sighed, feeling almost giddy with relief. Finally, some luck. If the tyrant didn’t encounter him or anyone else in the RPD, maybe he would even leave the building and roam the streets instead? Right now, that would have been a perfect dream. ‘ _As long as he doesn’t run into other survivors out there…_ ’

 

As quietly as possible, the blonde made his way to the main hall. He scanned the area and made his way down the stairs. Everything still looked the same. No enemies in sight, thanks god, no tyrant, no -

 

“Marvin!”

 

Leon’s eyes fell onto the injured police officer that was still lying on the bench, just like earlier when Leon had left him to enter the hidden passage. He felt ashamed for almost having forgotten about the police officer, who looked worse than ever. Was he still alive?

 

“That you, rookie?” Marvin’s voice was weak. He couldn’t even open his eyes. His chest was raising very slowly with faint breathing. “Didn’t I tell you to get out of here?”

 

Leon did his best to not let his own voice show the immense sorrow he felt. There was still nothing he could do for the man and he seemed on the verge of dying. “I did. But I’m afraid I need to look for some more clues in here to continue. Don’t worry, I’ll get out of here. And I will come back with help,” he added, although he knew neither of them believed that there was any chance for Marvin to be saved. Leon clenched his fists so hard his nails dug painfully into his skin. He felt so damn powerless. Even if he did make it out of this city alive, he’d be forever haunted by this night. The police offer didn’t even seem to hear his words anymore, at least he showed no reaction whatsoever.

 

Reluctantly, Leon tore his gaze away from Marvin and kept walking towards the hall’s entrance.

 

The gem was still sitting on the desk where he had left it, right next to that typewriter. ‘ _It’s all computers nowadays, why on earth were they still using that thing?_ ’ A question that would never be answered. Curiously, Leon examined the gem and then put it into the empty space on top of the box. It opened - and revealed a S.T.A.R.S. badge. ‘ _Ok, definitely not what I would have expected to be in there._ ’ The rookie flipped the badge in his hands and discovered that it was actually a flash drive. His mood lightened up a bit when he realized where this item belonged. The armory in the S.T.A.R.S. office, locked by a PC. The Lightning Hawk magnum!

There was a _crackling_ noise that made the rookie jump before he realized it came from the walkie-talkie he still carried around. It obviously wasn’t Marvin that tried to contact him now. Was there another officer alive in the police station?

 

“Leon? Can you hear me? It’s Claire!”

 

Claire!

 

“Hey! Yes, I can hear you! Where are you? And where did you get that radio from?”

 

“I took it from some unfortunate dead officer. I’m down in the parking lot right now. I take it that you are responsible for the dead dogs and zombies here?”

 

“Oh, yes. I’ve been down there before, trying to find a way out. Actually, there was a woman, too, an FBI agent… You didn’t happen to run into her? Short black hair, sunglasses for some reason…”

 

“Uhm, negative. But I did run into a little girl, Sherry. We got separated. Look, Leon, I don’t have the time to explain everything, but I managed to get hold of a parking ticket. I’m about to leave this place and will be heading for the orphanage. It must be somewhere nearby. I can’t wait for you, Sherry is in danger. Once I got her, I’ll wait with her for you in the orphanage, alright?”

 

“Sure, I’ll follow you! Good job with getting that ticket. You be careful, okay? If you don’t know for sure what you are up against, just wait for me.” Leon paused for a second. “But also, don’t waste too much time waiting at all… Run if you have to. I’ll be fine.”

 

“We’re going get out of here together, Leon. You, Sherry and me.” Claire’s voice was firm and reassuring. He had a feeling that this young woman was actually handling the situation with much more fighting spirit than himself, despite him being part of the force. “I’ll see you soon, Leon. Oh, and in case you are able to bring some more firepower along with you… I think we’re definitely going to need it.”

 

“Well…” Leon casted a satisfied glance to the USB drive in his hands. “That can be arranged. See you at the orphanage. Good luck. Over and out.”

 

The blonde tucked the device away. He felt a bit better, feeling all his motivation and determination coming back to him. There was now a way to get out of the station for good. He had access to a powerful weapon. Claire was alive and she needed him. ‘ _You got this._ G _et that magnum and then –_ ‘

 

One of the doors on the first floor busted open, so loud and sudden as if a bomb had exploded in the silent hall. Leon almost dropped the flash drive in shock. ‘ _No!’_ The massive form of the tyrant emerged from it. Just as before, it didn’t take X more than a second to spot the rookie in the large area.

 

And once again, the tyrant went immediately for him.

 

‘ _Ok, ok, don’t panic…_ ’ There was enough distance between him and the monster to run. But – Marvin! Even though Leon’s mind screamed ‘ _Get the hell out of here’_ and even though Marvin had also told him more than once to get out of here no matter what, the blonde couldn’t just leave the man in here alone with the tyrant. Fatally injured or not, no human being deserved to die at the violent hands of that creature. The last thing the brave officer would see in this life would be the monster’s intimidating face and Leon just couldn’t let that happen.

 

Against all better knowledge and without a real plan, Leon shoved the flash drive into one of his pockets and ran up to the bench Marvin was lying on, desperately trying to ignore the booming steps of the monster that triggered absolute terror in him. The tyrant had already reached the top of the stairs, his piercing eyes never leaving Leon.

 

Helpless with despair, the blonde put his left arm around Marvin’s upper body, trying to lift him up, though he had no idea how he should be able to flee from the tyrant while dragging a fully grown man with him. His right hand clenched his pistol, loosely aiming in the direction of his pursuer. The echo of heavy boots coming down the stairs grew louder. “Marvin, can you hear me? Oh God, please, we need to get… aaaah!”

 

With a swift movement, Marvin suddenly shot up. His hands grabbed Leon’s shoulders harshly. The man’s eyes were white and soulless. Teeth snapped for the rookie’s face, ready to feast on his flesh. Instinctively, Leon’s right hand jerked up, pushing the end of the gun into Marvin’s mouth and pulling the trigger. The shot rang in his ears. He felt Marvin’s body go limp – falling onto him, pushing him to the ground and burying him underneath the dead weight.

 

And Leon knew he had ruined everything.

 

* * *

Sweat. Some blood. Fresh. And something else. Something unknown yet. An unknown fragrance. (S _weet_?)

 

The humans trail is faint among all the rotten bodies in the building. Yet so different that it clearly stands out, leading the way.

 

Leaving the hallway. Waiting Room. The human was here not too long ago.

 

Pushing the door open. Main Hall. The largest room. Plants. Blood. Guts. Medical equipment. Paper. Dust. But the human’s fragrance is stronger than any of those things. He is in this room. Locating him in the broad area happens immediately. His entire existence is like a red blinking light in the darkness. Normal. It’s a target. Locating targets is the mission, the instinct. Still. There is a faint knowledge that this is not the only reason, that there is a difference to other targets from before. Maybe it has no importance, though.

 

Heading for the stairs. The human hears. He looks up. Blue eyes. Fear inside them. Like before. The usual reaction of targets.

 

Reaching the stairs. The human’s reaction that follows is not as anticipated. No running. Instead, the human stumbles towards the undead lying on the bench. No need to be close to know that this human is dead and has turned. The difference between targets and undead is immediately clear, no matter the distance. Otherwise no proper hunting and elimination would be possible in this environment.

 

Human actions are rarely understandable. They do things all the time. Most of the time, the actions are unimportant. But they can be logical and illogical at least.

 

This human’s action bears no logic. He grabs the undead but seems to be surprised to get attacked by him. He manages to shoot the undead in the head, splattering brain everywhere. Then he goes down because the dead body collapses on top of him. What’s happening doesn’t fit the smart and quick moves the human demonstrated before.

It doesn’t matter. The non-logical action leads to a desirable result. The human is on the ground and wasted too much time to be able to escape.

 

There is something. Some _feeling_. Not caused by any physical impact. Not the usual desire to pursue a target, not the experience of reward when the target is eliminated.

Maybe this _feeling_ is not knowing what is going to happen next. This is new. Normally, everything happens the same way. Orders. Locating a target. Eliminating target. There is no such thing as something being unexpected. Minor divergences can occur, but the result is always the same.

 

But this human… will not die. It’s not an order to not kill it. But there is something that forbids it.

 

For now.

 

What will happen instead? It’s unknown. Unknown should pose a threat, unknown can interfere with missions, maybe even violate protocols. It should be an undesirable feeling.

 

It’s not. It’s something new… ( _Excitement_?)

 

Probably the target will get eliminated eventually. But first… first…

 

* * *

 

Half an hour ago, Leon had thought that dying while crying in fear would be the most humiliating way to go. He had barely managed to avoid that fate and now put himself in a situation even worse. Why couldn’t he just have listened to Marvin. ‘ _He told you to get away and leave him behind. You didn’t listen, you just had to play the hero. Now you got both of you killed._ ’

 

The stench of blood and splattered brain so close to his face made Leon’s stomach turn in disgust. He managed to push the heavy body off from him a bit, but it was already too late. The tyrant’s looming figure appeared directly above him.

 

* * *

 

 

The view of the human on the ground is satisfying. Satisfaction normally comes after elimination. There is a certain temptation to ignore the new feeling that forbids killing the human. A temptation to go straight for the usual way. It would be very easy. The human stands no chance.

 

His little heart is pounding so hard. He knows how inferior he is. One swift movement would be enough to punch through the chest and still the pounding forever. One swift movement to crack his head open. The body is so fragile. It’s so tempting to crush it.

 

But also tempting to…?

 

What will happen now? The human won’t die. The human won’t escape. Those are the only possibilities usually. Are there any others?

 

* * *

“Oh God, no, no no no please…”

 

The tyrant could have crushed his skull underneath his boot easily, but he did not, even though, once again, he had Leon completely at his mercy. Still, the hesitating behavior didn’t calm the rookie in the slightest. Excruciating pain and tearful begging had been the result last time. ‘ _If he touches me again I’m gonna scream, I’m just gonna lose it, Leon S. Kennedy will cry like a child and die that way…_ ’ Tears of hot anger threatened to fill his eyes. He hadn’t been able to save Marin, he wasn’t even capable of saving himself. If he tried to get up and run the tyrant would attack him, no doubt. How could he possibly get out of this new mess?

 

The tyrant now crouched, bringing his face even closer to Leon’s. The rookie shivered when the cold breath went over his skin. X made no effort to touch him. Instead, he took a deep breath, apparently inhaling his victim’s scent, almost touching his hair and skin in the process. Almost. As if this kind of interaction was outside the ordinary and had to be done carefully. Though not for Leon’s sake for sure. Leon was now positive that the B.O.W. was uncertain what to do with his captive, yet very determined to keep him and the rookie couldn’t stop wondering WHY. He wanted to shout the question into the grey, merciless face.

Whatever the monster was smelling, it seemed to be somehow enticed by the fragrance. Leon couldn’t imagine his smell was pleasant. He was sweaty, his clothes dirty and there was blood oozing onto him. The monster was sniffing him once again and this time his pale lips slightly parted, revealing his teeth with a deep, rumbling growl. The memory of how the tyrant had almost licked his tear-stained face during their last encounter came to Leon’s mind. ‘ _Maybe he really feasts on human flesh once he tastes it?_ ’ His blood went cold and he jerked his head to the side while his hands roamed over his own body in panic.

 

His left fingers were able to reach his belt. Leon made a feeble and clumsy attempt to quickly raise the gun with his left hand – unfortunately he was right-handed – and shot at his pursuer, not really expecting it to cause any damage to the tyrant.

 

But he would go down fighting at least.

 

He missed the creature’s head though – and instead knocked off the ridiculous fedora his tormentor was wearing.

 

He could not have possibly anticipated the reaction that followed.

 

The tyrant shot up. For a split second, his silver eyes went wide in… surprise? And then they flashed in hot, white anger and all hesitation was gone.

 

With an enraged roar that made Leon flinch, the tyrant swatted the rookie’s hand away, knocking the pistol out of it and leaving his fingers numb with pain. Heavy boots gave Marvin’s corpse a kick, pushing him fully off Leon. Seeing the man’s dead body being further messed with made the rookie sick, but there was not even a moment to think about it because the tyrant immediately went on to grab Leon by the collar of his uniform with one swift hand and tossed the rookie to the side.

 

Leon was sent flying for a second and hit the ground a few meters away. He managed to land on his side – if he had fallen onto his tormented back, he probably would not have been able to get up again. Still, being hurled like that hurt like a bitch. The sudden brutal reaction baffled him, considering he hadn’t been able to cause any damage to his attacker. Although he doubted this monster was capable of feeling any kind of attachment to a clothing article, X seemed to regard shooting off the hat as a way of successfully attacking him. Clearly, the monstrous man was not used to that. And he would make the inferior human pay for it. The tyrant stomped towards him, looking more threatening than ever, his eyes now showing a murderousness even greater than when Leon had first met him. ‘ _He’s gonna rip me apart, in the end I’m going to die because of a god damn FEDORA…_ ’

 

Blue and silver eyes locked and later Leon would wonder if it was because of this that the creature stopped didn’t immediately smash him. Even though keeping eye contact with this monster shook him to the core. The tyrant stood less than half a meter in front of him, fists opening and clenching, his massive body tense with rage, as if wanted to pounce on the rookie and at the same time tried not to. It was like staring at a grenade that might go off any second. ‘ _Wait - grenade!’_

 

Leon’s shaky hands went to his belt and brushed over a weapon he had not tried to use against his attacker yet. A flash grenade. He was almost certain that with those bright pale eyes the monster was immune to such shenanigans, but it was the rookie’s last resort. Desperately, he forced himself to keep staring into the face of the monstrous man while his fingers tried to remove the flash grenade from his belt. Most likely he simply saw what he wanted to see because his mind refused to surrender to the thought of getting killed any second, but just for a short moment it seemed as if the fearful and pleading look in his victim’s face evoked a very, _very_ subtle emotion in the tyrant’s eyes…

 

However, when his trembling fingers went to activate the grenade, the tyrant noticed and lunged forward with a furious roar. Leon clenched his eyes shut and dropped the explosive. It fell way too close to himself onto the ground and once again his ears painfully rang.

 

Still halfway deaf, the rookie opened an eye and to his endless relief, the flash had indeed affected the tyrant. The monstrous man had covered his eyes and turned his body to the side, grunting in anger.

 

With great effort, the blonde managed to stand up and headed the closest escape route: the door leading into the West Office. Once again, he was fleeing from his powerful opponent, frightened and in pain. ‘ _And for the last time! Get that gun and then get out of this hell!_ ’

 

Just why did he have the bad feeling that the tyrant would now pursue him even more relentlessly than before? Though he tried to focus his mind on his escape only, Leon couldn’t stop wondering why the creature showed this disturbing interest in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course the lickers are also human based mutants, our rookie just hasn't figured that out yet.
> 
> Chapter 4 is already in the making. 
> 
> Sorry, Leon, it always has to get worse before it gets better. Or even worse.


	4. Guns 'n' torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A powerful weapon comes with a price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you had a nice Easter time! Leon spent the time looking for magnums instead of eggs. 
> 
> This chapter is a bit of a shorter one - we are reaching critical events.
> 
> All praise to [Asylos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asylos/pseuds/Asylos) for beta reading.

The thought of revisiting the dark hallway with a licker sticking to its ceiling wasn’t a nice one.

 

Especially now that the immortal tyrant was roaming the building as well.

 

Nevertheless, Leon was determined to get hold of the Lightning Hawk magnum. He had to – right now, he didn’t have a single long ranged weapon with him. His handgun was lying somewhere on the floor of the main hall. And if he had to choose between sneaking past a licker or returning to the hall with Marvin’s mutilated corpse and the tyrant, the first option seemed much more endurable.

 

Maybe the Lightning Hawk was even powerful enough to harm the tyrant. The fucking thing had caused him so much pain and fear, it would be a delight to blast some effective bullets between those pale eyes. That would take away some of the humiliation the creature had inflicted on him.

 

Though he preferred not to meet the humanoid B.O.W. ever again and especially not while there was a licker nearby. ‘ _ No way I could handle both of them at the same time _ .’ His nervousness grew while approaching the hallway via the shower room. Well, there was no time to worry or to work on a more defined plan. ‘ _ Get the weapon. Get to the parking lot. Get to Claire. Now _ .’

 

Licking his dry lips, the blonde listened for any sound behind the door. No stomping boots. A good start. He creaked the door open and took a look. The open window in the middle of the hallway had been kind of an advantage before as the rain outside swallowed most sounds inside, making it easier to avoid the skinless monster, but right now it was affecting Leon’s vision. Where was that licker? He took a careful step inside. And only three meters to his right, the licker stuck to the wall like a monstrous insect. Biting his tongue, Leon tiptoed away from the door. Seeing the monster so close next to him was terribly unnerving. He had to suppress the urge to run from the imminent danger, but it was running that would actually trigger the real danger.

 

Luckily, the door leading to the S.T.A.R.S. office wasn’t that far down the hall. The rookie managed to reach it without alerting the blind creature in the slightest. Closing the door behind him, he sighed in relief. The office greeted him with bright light and a wonderful atmosphere of peace and quiet. No corpses here, no blood-stained walls. Just the equipment and some personal belongings of S.T.A.R.S. members. A little oasis in the middle of hell.

 

He went straight for the computer. One didn’t have to be too tech-savvy to operate the armory’s door once the flash drive was connected to the device. ‘ _ Which would explain why they kept the flash drive so well hidden. _ ’

 

A few clicks and he was rewarded with a greenlight and the door leading to gun paradise clicked open. “Yes!” When entering the armory, the blonde couldn’t help but grin a bit. You couldn’t really call him a gun enthusiast, but this magnum was quite a piece of art. No way a normal police offer would have ever been equipped with it. The revolver was meant for special units, the most talented and trustworthy marksmen. Maybe it had even belonged to Claire’s brother? Speaking of which, after securing the special gun, Leon noticed a piece of paper on a nearby bench - written by Chris Redfield himself. A happy message from Europe, where Chris Redfield was currently enjoying some vacation. Leon frowned. Even without knowing the man personally, the story seemed odd. Surely Chris would have informed his sister about leaving the continent. Maybe there was a hidden message among those lines? Leon stashed the paper in one of his pockets. If he met up with Claire, he could show it to her and get her opinion. ‘ **_When_ ** _ you met up with her. You are going to. Stay positive. You could definitely use some positive energy _ .’

 

The magnum held a total of six bullets. Using it demanded moderation – he couldn’t afford firing the powerful weapon unless it was really necessary.  ‘ _ I really wonder how much effect it would have on the tyrant. He can’t be completely invincible, right? _ ’ Focusing his mind on the current task was important, though Leon couldn’t help to keep questioning the unnerving actions the monster had shown so far. What was he supposed to make of that? It was an incredibly hard challenge to deal with an enemy that showed such confusing behavior that you could never anticipate his next move. ‘ _ Not that it really matters what his motivations are. You end up getting injured every time _ .’

 

There was no way that he was going to waste any precious magnum bullets on the licker waiting outside the hallway. He had managed to avoid it several times now and he would do so again. On the other hand… wasn’t it his duty to get rid of this dangerous being so no one else could get hurt? Then again, the only people that were currently alive were there ones he was heading for. Claire had asked him for firepower and he would provide it. ‘ _ Also, I better avoid making any unnecessary noise _ .’

 

He wasn’t happy about leaving this safe place again so soon, but there was nothing else left to do in here and he could not afford to waste any more time. Opening the door leading to the hallway a few centimeters, Leon couldn’t see or hear much. The rain and wind were a real nuisance now. The open window was almost opposite the door. But oh well. No licker in front of him. Not on his left or right. And as far as he could make out the ceiling, no long tongue dangling down from there. ‘ _ Great. Now, to the east side of the building, down to the parking lot. Preferably without running into a giant man with leather coat that wants to avenge his hat. _ ’ Now that his escape was so close, Leon could almost joke about the disturbing encounters he had been having with the monster. Almost. His back still couldn’t laugh about it. Undoubtedly, the horrible experience would haunt him in his dreams for a long time.

 

He entered the hallway, trying to close the door behind him as quietly as possible – when a gust of wind ripped the door’s handle out his hand and slammed it shut with a loud  _ bang _ .

 

Almost immediately, a bloodcurdling screeching sound followed.

 

Directly behind him.

 

The licker had been sitting in a blind spot directly above the door.

 

_ ‘Fuck!’ _

 

Leon’s hand pulled up the magnum the same moment the skinless monster jumped at him.

 

The licker was faster.

 

Leon jumped to his right, trying to dodge the attack. A giant claw slashed through the air - and got just close enough to hit his left leg, digging deep into his thigh. Leon saw his own blood splashing, heard himself scream in agony. Dizzy with pain and shock, his eyes shot in the direction of the door leading to the shower rooms. ‘ _ Run. Just run. _ ’ He could have tried to aim again and shoot the monster just in time, but panic was stronger now. Blindly, he shoved the gun back into the holster on his belt. Adrenalin helped him to not sink to the ground even though his left leg felt like it would give in any second. It burned like fire. ‘ _ If it hit my artery I’m gonna bleed out oh God what’s the thing to do if you get hit there is there even anything you can do at all what did they tell us during training – _ ‘

 

Only a few more steps separated him from the door and the fact that he hadn’t heard the beast’s claws crawl over the floor yet gave him hope for a moment - before it was crushed by a rope wrapping itself around his neck. No, not a rope, a tongue. Like a lasso, the lickers long organ held onto him, squeezing his windpipe, strangling him.

 

The panic his body felt when his air supply was cut off made all the other moments of terror that Leon had experienced this night seem like minor inconveniences suddenly. Wheezing, he grabbed the tongue with both hands, desperately dug his nails into it, pulled it, tried to bite it, even managed to reach one of his knives to slash it. Futile. The licker’s organ did not loosen one bit. The creature didn’t even seem to feel any pain. Leon’s vision blackened; his body trashed helplessly while he tried not to fall down. ‘ _ No, not like this, I can’t die like this, Claire, she’s waiting for me, please no…’ _ A terrible pressure took hold of his head; he heard his heartbeat drum loudly in his ears. His legs were giving in.

 

And then, he realized the rhythmic booming sound in his head was not just originating from his increased pulse.

 

With fast and heavy steps, the tyrant emerged out of the darkness behind the licker.

 

In the blink of an eye, the monster took in the scene before him and his silver eyes locked with Leon’s bloodshot ones that must have been a terrible view right now.

 

With an infuriated roar that echoed through the hallway, the tyrant stormed towards Leon and the licker, faster than ever before.

 

Leon’s eyes closed. Before hitting the ground, he wondered if suffocating was actually a more merciful death compared to what the tyrant might have done to him, but the painful, slow fading of his mind was such a horrible experience, mortal fear consuming his whole being… There was no room for feeling any triumph about having taken away victory from the tyrant. It was the most terrifying thing he had ever felt.

 

The moment his head met the wooden floor, he was set free.

 

Not by death, though.

 

The deadly grip around his neck suddenly loosened and then let go completely.

 

With great effort, the rookie managed to open his eyes again. The image before him was so blurry that it felt like a dream.

 

_ Leon was so sure that the tyrant would go for him, that the cruel B.O.W. wants to be the one that successfully kills the blonde. However, the monstrous man didn’t attack him. Instead, one of his massive boots has crashed down onto the lickers back. The skinless monster is screeching and writhing beneath him, its claws helplessly slashing into thin air. The tyrant bows down, tense with rage, and takes the lickers wiggling head into his large hands. He starts pressing. Slowly. The licke’rs wailing first becomes more high-pitched before it starts to fades while its brain starts to ooze between X’s gloved fingers. The tyrant crushes its skull bit by bit. Its death is far from merciful. _

 

_ The monstrous man raises up, much calmer now. His eyes fall on Leon. There is nothing the rookie can do this time. His left leg and his neck are hot pain that spreads throughout his entire body. His head is spinning, both from the lack of oxygen and from having hit the floor. The tyrant approaches him until he’s standing right next to him, looking taller than ever. ‘Whenever I meet him, I’m lying on the ground, sooner or later,’ Leon’s brain dully notices. _

 

_ He’s fainting. It’s actually a pleasant experience now. Leaving all the pain slowly behind and not allowing him to panic about the fact that the tyrant this time really has captured him. It’s a fascinating feeling of calmness. Is this what death feels like? _

 

_ The tyrant crouches next to him. The expression on his face is inscrutable. His eyes are like silver lights in the darkness that engulfs Leon. The last thing he feels before fully passing out are the tyrant’s large hands wrapping around his waist and picking him up.  _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the pain, rookie.
> 
> The next chapter is almost finished. In general, I'm eagerly working on the story and your comments, kudos & bookmarks really keep me going. <3 
> 
> Still, it could take me a bit longer in the next two weeks because I'm getting married (and yes, there will be an Umbrella cake at the wedding).


	5. Face to face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dishonor! Dishonor on me and my cow if I had one. In my defense, somehow I thought having a wedding (actually two, civil one in my country, party one in his) would take less time. Also I started an amazing new job but I never stopped thinking about what will happen to Leon next, of course. :) (In fact, 'Saudade', the song that plays when the credits of B run in RE2MAKE run, was also played during my wedding, hrr hrr).
> 
> Thank you for your patience, your good wishes, kudos and comments!
> 
> Endless gratitude also goes to [Asylos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asylos/pseuds/Asylos) for being so patient with both my timing, grammar and general confusion. 
> 
> Have a seat, grab a piece of my umbrella wedding cake:  
> https://imgur.com/a/4IKha6t
> 
> and hopefully enjoy the latest chapter.

The security cam inside the RPD’s Security Deposit room has recorded disturbing images over the past few days. Police officers that stormed in and grabbed weapons, ammunition, vests. Shots and screams sounding from the hallway outside the room. Then nothing for a while. Eventually, some police officers were seen once again in front of the camera’s lens, although they hardly bore any human resemblance now. Blood stained, stumbling, moaning. Some of them missing pieces of flesh.They would roam the room for a while and then leave again.

 

But the strangest scene was being recorded right now.

 

The door is pushed open and an unusually large man emerges, dressed in a long black leather coat along with gloves and boots. No, not a man. Tyrant 00-1, one of Umbrella’s finest creations, deadly and pretty much immortal. He carries a blond, unconscious police officer over his shoulder. Leon S. Kennedy, the rookie that was supposed to join the RPD in the next few days.

 

The massive tyrant marches to the back of the room and then lets the blonde slide to the ground. Not overly carefully, but also not in a completely careless manner. Leon is lying on his side, motionless, still unconscious. In silence and with an unreadable expression, the monstrous man scans the rookie’s body. Eventually, he crouches next to him and gives the human a shove to the shoulder. Leon’s body jolts from the push, but otherwise there is no reaction. The tyrant’s face darkens ever so slightly, apparently unsatisfied with the situation. He gives the human another push, more roughly this time. The blonde falls onto his back, but his eyes remain closed. Still nothing. With hesitation, the tyrant now draws his gloved fingers over the blonde’s hair, his face and then stops when his large fingers reach the rookie’s abused throat, which is currently not a pleasant sight. Pale eyes stare at the bruise around the tender skin.

 

The tyrant makes a last attempt to draw a reaction from the human by giving his right arm a tug. The human remains motionless. The B.O.W. gets up, making a sound that seems to be an angry and frustrated growl. He tears his piercing gaze away from the human and slowly heads for the door, leaving behind the silent image of Leon lying on the floor.

 

* * *

 

 

Leon had been awake for quite some time while the tyrant carried him through the building.

 

He felt terrible. Swallowing was painful. The injury on his left leg burned like fire. And he had the worst headache ever, not comparable to any hangover he had experienced in the recent weeks. Very slowly, his mind started working again. The blonde tried to process the recent events.

 

He was alive, which was a miracle he had yet to comprehend. More precisely – and that was almost impossible to comprehend - he was alive _because_ of the tyrant. How could it be?

The view of Leon about to die had clearly enraged the monstrous man. And Leon was sure that was the reason; that he was angry that the cheeky licker had been about to steal the glorious moment when he would finally kill Leon after their long cat and mouse game. X had crushed that licker with seemingly great satisfaction. After that, he could have easily finished the job on Leon. But instead…

 

Leon couldn’t get the tyrant’s haunting eyes out of his head, the last thing he had seen before passing out. There hadn’t been empathy in them, but no negative emotions either. It had been… well, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. Did it even matter?

 

There was no denying that the tyrant had saved his life. If he hadn’t shown up, the licker would have been feasting on the rookie’s flesh right now. ‘ _I should actually be glad he showed up_ ’. That was a puzzling thought. To say that the tyrant saving him from certain death had been unexpected was an understatement, considering how their previous encounters had played out. So far, any encounter with the B.O.W. had only led to more pain and fear.

 

Still, there was no reason to change his mind about the monster. The tyrant **had** to have ulterior motives for his actions. After all the cruel treatment, the rookie simply couldn’t believe that the creature was capable of any caring behaviour. And why would he be? He was a weapon. Maybe X simply wanted to enjoy the moment of finally killing his target. Just because he had killed the licker, it didn’t mean that he had done it for Leon’s sake. After all, he hadn’t shown the slightest concern or remorse when he almost broke the blonde’s back during their first encounter.

 

And yet, Leon couldn’t shake off the feeling that each time they met X had shown a bit more… awareness. Also, compared to the first time the grey giant had carried him around, his grip was slightly more endurable now. Not like carrying a dead prey. Leon was still in pain, but if he was really honest, it didn’t feel entirely unpleasant to lay on those broad shoulders, feeling his carrier’s strength. It almost gave the rookie a false sense of security. False because he doubted the tyrant had saved him simply to let him go afterwards.

 

A door was pushed open.

 

Leon opened his eyes ever so slightly and recognized the bright surroundings as those of the Security Deposit room. What reason could the tyrant possibly have to bring him here? And why was the place so quiet? The echo of the creature’s heavy steps were the only sound currently. Not even outside there had been any signs of the zombies that had been roaming the area before. ‘ _Did he kill them all? But what reason could he possibly have to do that?_ ’

Yes, Leon was glad to be alive but there was no way he would stick around to find out what exactly was going on, why the monster kept trying to get a hold of him. Saving or not, he had endured more than enough pain and terror at the hands of ‘Mr. X’. But what could he possibly do to escape that he hadn’t tried before? Running had failed, attacking the tyrant had failed. Also, he was in no condition to do either right now.

Leon went for his only option left: playing dead.

Though he doubted he could fully fool the tyrant into believing that he was dead. X would be a poor sentient weapon if he could be tricked by targets that easily, but Leon hoped to be able to keep up the act of being unconscious at least. Worst case, the tyrant would just do anyway what he wanted to do to Leon, whatever the hell that was. (Groping him. Hurting him.)

 

Best case, he would lose interest and decide the lifeless human body was no longer worth his time.

The blonde tried to steady his breath and keep his body limp when the tyrant suddenly put him down. It was far from easy to relax your limbs when you are so panic-stricken that all you want to do is jump up and run. The calm feeling he had experienced while fainting had long disappeared. Reality kicked in now that his pursuer focused on him again.

 

He felt those pale eyes watching him intensely. Leon’s heart was pounding so hard he was sure the tyrant would notice it. The rookie forced himself to keep his eyes shut without clenching them too obviously. There was silence for a while. ‘ _Fuck off. I’m dead. Go and find some other toy to torture._ ’

 

There _still_ was this tiny bit of hope in the back of his mind that this B.O.W. wasn’t as cold and uncaring as it had been during their first encounter. Maybe the fact that the tyrant had saved him from the licker and carried him to a ‘safe’ place _meant_ something.

 

Sure, he was getting tired of his own idealistic nativity, but he also couldn’t help it.

 

Hope faded quickly. Leon flinched and almost let out a gasp when the tyrant suddenly nudged him. It took all his self-control to keep up the act of being unconscious. He started to doubt that this was actually a good plan. Another push, more forcefully this time, as if trying to wake him up. The rookie was now lying on his back, biting his tongue in desperation. ‘ _God dammit, just leave me alone!_ ’ Trying to keep his body from trembling was a Herculean task. The silence and the fact that he could not see what was going on was terribly unnerving.

 

Suddenly a large hand went over his head and his face before resting on his abused neck. Lingering there for a moment. Checking for a pulse? Examining the bruises the licker’s tongue had left there? The desire to open his eyes and move away from the touch became unbearable. He was expecting the creature to get violent any second. Surely the monster could feel him shivering underneath his touch.

 

A few seconds of tense silence passed.

 

A strong hand wrapped around his left forearm and pulled and for a moment Leon’s fist clenched in terror, but nothing else happened. Eventually, Leon heard the tyrant get up and make a growling sound, apparently upset about the lack of reaction. Or entertainment.

 

And then – the blonde almost sighed loudly in relief –, the tyrant started to walk away from him. His booming steps reached the door. _Creak_. The door opened and then fell shut. The echo of stomping boots started to fade and finally ceased.

 

Leon couldn’t believe his luck. He held his breath for a few seconds (though his maltreated wind pipe ached in protest) and listened intently. Utter silence. The beast was gone. The rookie sat up so abruptly it made his head spin and reminded him of the latest injuries. ‘ _Oh fuck…_ ’ His left thigh didn’t look good at all. The bleeding had stopped but the cut was deep and not exactly clean after he had fallen onto the ground. ‘ _It’ll have to wait until I reach the orphanage. I can’t waste any more time here or even try to go all the way back to the shower room to clean myself._ ’ His throat hurt whenever he swallowed, but he was still able to breathe properly at least. ‘ _Gosh, some water with ice flakes would be the most amazing thing to have right now._ ’

 

The rookie forced himself to stand up. His left leg felt terribly shaky. God, he needed to rest. He needed medical attention. His body was a patchwork of injuries. How was he supposed to help Claire in a condition like this? ‘Y _ou don’t have choice. If you leave, you might die, if you stay here, you will die for sure._ ’ If the tyrant returned and found him awake, nothing good would happen, he was certain of that.

 

One more time he tried to catch any noises from outside the room. Nothing. ‘ _Alright, main hall, east wing, down the stairs, parking lot, freedom._ ’

 

Leon took a deep breath and then went for the door, as fast as his injured body would allow him to move. Which wasn’t fast at all. Faster than a zombie at least. He ripped the door open and turned to the right in order to head for the West Office, which was only a few meters away and the fastest way leading to the main hall.

 

Coming out of nowhere, a fist smashed into the wall next to him.

 

His body reacted before his brain could, immediately turning to the other side to run in that direction. Just to have another fist smashed into the wall there too, trapping him between the wall - and the massive body of the tyrant.

 

The damn B.O.W. had been standing near the door, silent and motionless, his black attire perfectly blending in with the dark surroundings.

 

Had he really thought he could fool this creature? Horrified, Leon pressed his back against the wall while X threateningly lowered his head and bared his teeth. Leon had seen the monster angry before but now he looked downright pissed. Infuriated by the little trick the rookie had tried to play. ‘ _He tricked_ **_me_ ** _. He knew I was going to come out once he pretended to leave… God, why must this thing be both smart and powerful!_ ’

 

Paralysed with terror, the blonde stared into the silvery eyes that were flashing with anger. The tyrant was undoubtedly in full ‘weapon mode’ again, not showing any gentleness and once again Leon had to accept the fact that whenever he thought he saw a glimpse of humanity in the monster, he had simply deluded himself. X seemed ready to tear him into pieces.

 

The first weapon his right hand reached was one of the knives. Not his weapon of choice – why hadn’t he gotten the damn magnum out before he left the room, after all the trouble he went through to get the gun in the first place!

 

Swiftly, he went for the tyrant’s gloved hand on his right, hoping to surprise him at least so he would move his arm away just for a moment and give the rookie a chance to pass. 

 

Unsurprisingly, the blade penetrated only the thick leather and hardly any of the hard skin underneath. The monster did pull his hand back with one quick movement – losing the glove in the process as it now hung on the knife. But the blonde’s opponent was still way too fast for Leon to pull any surprise moves.  ‘ _Great progress, before it was his hat, now a glove, you’re really getting a hang of this –_ ‘

 

“No – ngggh!” A massive hand went for his throat, not caring about the injuries there at the slightest. It was the first time Leon felt the tyrant’s rough skin, which was surprisingly cool and could have felt soothing on the damaged skin if it hadn’t grabbed him so harshly.

 

What happened next, however, took him completely by surprise.

 

The tyrant’s bare hand laid onto Leon’s throat for no more than one second – and then pulled back immediately. As if the touch of the human’s skin had burned him.

 

Shakily, the rookie leaned his back against the wall. God, what was happening now? If it wasn’t the injuries or a B.O.W. then a heart attack from this constant panic would eventually kill him.

 

The tyrant had taken a step back. His eyes were big and round with – shock? Surprise? The cold stare was suddenly filled with vivid emotions. It was absolutely baffling. In complete silence they faced each other, Leon slightly crouched and breathing hard, not any less shocked by the unexpected reaction. The creature had eyed him with a certain curiosity before, but now he seemed downright… fascinated?

 

Minutes seemed to pass. Neither of them was moving. Then, X relaxed slightly and extended his glove-free hand again. Slowly. Leon flinched slightly when the tyrant reached for his bare wrist, though he was not grabbing him as harshly as before. Large fingers wrapped around the rookie’s wrist. It was a firm hold but not painfully tight.

 

It was as if the direct contact had suddenly flipped on a switch inside the tyrant. The grey face that had so far been either free of any emotion or looked dark and threatening, seemed to relax bit by bit. The harsh line of his mouth opened slightly. You couldn’t call it a smile, but it was an expression of contentment and relaxation paired with interest.

 

It was an expression that made the tyrant look much more human.

 

Leon tried to get a hold of the new situation he was in, tried to figure out what caused this sudden change in behaviour. Why did the creature feel that Leon’s skin had suddenly became a source of such fascination? His wrist felt warm under the cool fingers of the tyrant, his heart still racing so fast that the creature clearly had to notice his pulse.

 

And suddenly Leon realized that X had probably never before touched a human skin to skin. Which only made sense. The tyrant was a product of a laboratory and it was unthinkable that his creators would have approached him without wearing full body suits. Basic lab safety rules. With those thick leather gloves, X himself probably only had a faint idea of what a human being felt like. The discovery what human skin really felt like seemed to be both overwhelming… and an absolute delight to him.

 

The large fingers moved slightly over the bare skin of Leon’s hand. Almost caringly. As if he now was trying to be careful not to cause damage, as if suddenly realizing that Leon was more than an object.

 

The rookie was still tense, his free hand clenched around the knife. Somehow, this situation felt more overwhelming than anything else that had happened this night. It was as if he was all of a sudden facing a completely different creature. And apparently the tyrant experienced the same. The B.O.W.’s silver eyes searched Leon’s blue ones. When they met, it was as if there suddenly was a connection between them.

 

Still, Leon’s body hadn’t forgotten the pain the tyrant had inflicted on him before so it was impossible not to wince when the massive hand reached for his head now. Fingers dug deep into his blonde hair. Feeling the softness of the strands seemed to entice the creature even more. Those silver eyes were downright _sparkling_. Leon felt his body relax slightly under the careful touch.

 

‘ _He is more than a mindless weapon._ ’ What an astonishing discovery. Leon broke the silence by letting out a giddy, nervous laugh, feeling some of the horrible tension and fear of death leaving his body. He felt like saying something, though he couldn’t think of anything meaningful to say. Probably X would not have been able to make much sense of his words anyway, but he felt the strong need to somehow express his relief and surprise about this new situation. “That’s my hair, yes… and that’s – that’s my face…” He was babbling and somehow couldn’t help but grin a bit. Sooner or later, one way or another, this creature would make him lose his mind for good. The tyrant didn't seem to pay attention to his words but seemed more excited than ever while exploring Leon's face.

 

It wasn’t exactly pleasant to feel the cold fingers rub over his lips, but not a terrible experience either. Just absolutely strange. And in such stark contrast to what had happened between them before. As if he was facing a wild predator, a lion maybe. Feeling a pang of anxiousness considering the danger it posed but at the same time being very captivated by it.  

 

The rookie felt a strange wave of triumph while the B.O.W. kept dragging his fingers over his neck, now ever so carefully. Umbrella had thought they could play God, create the perfect living weapon that would simply obey and be free of any awareness and learning outside its protocol. He, Leon, hadn’t been totally imagining things when trying to see more in the creature than a mindless killing machine, his surroundings were no longer divided by helpless victims and pure evil…

 

His thoughts were interrupted when the tyrant suddenly grabbed the upper part of his shirt and eagerly pulled, tearing several buttons off and revealing the top of Leon’s chest. Leon opened his mouth to protest but the tyrant’s other hand had already taken a hold of the seam of his pants, greedy to reveal more skin for him to touch and explore. “Hey, no, stop that!” the blonde managed to choke out, and hit the monster’s hand in a reflex action.

 

And the friendly atmosphere ended as quickly as it had begun.

 

For a moment, the tyrant paused in surprise. Then his face darkened, not pleased at all that Leon wanted to put an end to the fun all of a sudden. With a warning growl, X bared his teeth, no more tenderness in his pale eyes. Once again he reached for Leon, apparently determined not to care about the rookie’s protest. A cold hand pressed against the warm skin of Leon’s chest, wandering further down and continuing to rip the shirt apart.

 

Desperately, the rookie tried to push away the massive hand again, which was like trying to push away a brick wall. “I said no!” He swatted the hand, though he was aware of how weak he was compared to the creature, but the defence of his privacy happened almost automatically.

 

A fist punched the wall behind him, mere centimetres away from his head. Leon winced he was reminded of the B.O.W.’s superior strength and the fact that he could snap the rookie like a twig. ‘ _Just let him do whatever he wants, humour him, don’t make him angry!_ ’ But somewhere in the back of his mind there was a determination to not let his pursuer have his way with him, at least not voluntarily. He wasn’t sure how this suicidal resolution was stronger than his intimidation, but here it was.

 

The tyrant let out a terrifying roar that made Leon duck. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stare into the enraged eyes of his opponent that were now wild and threatening. There wasn’t really a coherent thought in his head, still, he wouldn’t let X strip his clothes off like that, the mere thought made his face burn hot with embarrassment and dread. “No. That’s all there is, no further.” His voice, coming from a dry and injured throat, didn’t sound as stern as he wanted it to be, but apparently the tone was strong enough to make it clear to the B.O.W. that he wouldn't let him continue. At least not willingly.

 

Roaring wrathfully, the monster lifted both arms and Leon’s heart skipped a beat. Instead of smashing the blonde, however, he slammed both fists into a nearby vending machine. Sparks and metal flew through the air and Leon covered his head and face with his hands just in time before the pieces rained down on him. X grabbed the entire machine and threw it a few meters away with no effort whatsoever. All the noise after the minutes of complete silence made Leon flinch in panic though he couldn’t get himself to move.

Speechless upon the view of the sudden pointless destruction, he watched the enraged tyrant now grab the door that lead to the West Office and tear it off of its hinges. The door was thrown down the hallway. The wall next to the now empty frame received two heavy punches from the tyrant’s fist, leaving gaping holes in the brick work.

 

The monster paused for a second and then turned to Leon, a grim expression on his face, apparently satisfied to have demonstrated all this violence and strength to the rookie. Before either of them could do anything else, Leon saw a fracture appearing above the hole in the wall that the tyrant had created. The fracture extended quickly to the ceiling and a piece of it fell down, directly onto X’s head.

 

It would have been ridiculous to think that this caused the monster any pain or damage when bullets couldn’t, however, the falling piece of plaster seemed to have taken X very much by surprise. The creature flinched and growled, lashing out for an invisible enemy for a second until he realized it was simply the result of the damage he had done. With a low but angry growl, the B.O.W. shook off the pieces of plaster, keeping his face away from Leon in the process. Almost as if he was upset (or even embarrassed?) that he had been caught off guard like that.

 

X's eyes trailed over the destruction he had caused and he went completely silent, staring into nothingness. Leon barely dared to draw a breath, utterly baffled. The sudden stillness and the change of mood after this crazy tantrum left him totally perplexed. He couldn’t see much of the tyrant’s face, but its expression struck him almost as… sorrowful? As if the creature was _thinking_ about something...  _remembering_ something… Was that even possible?

 

For a moment, the rookie felt an overwhelming desire to know what was going through the tyrant’s mind because there was definitely _something_ . Could he be capable of actual emotions? Could it be that this creature was suddenly feeling - he almost refused to connect this absurd idea to the B.O.W. - sadness? ' _Maybe I'm really just going crazy, wasting my time trying to humanize a monster that could kill me any second -_ '

Without granting Leon another look, X suddenly turned to the side and slowly started to walk away. In quiet disbelief, the blonde stared after the tyrant until his massive form disappeared behind a corner of the hallway, the sound of his heavy steps fading.

 

Dazed, Leon leaned against the wall and let himself slip down to the ground.

 

_‘Seriously, what  on earth just happened here?_ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mhm... What do you think about that?
> 
> (You might have noticed, this chapter was inspired by a scene in Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005). Gosh, I loved that movie.)


End file.
